(Oil, Charcoal and Acrylic on Plywood 60 x 90cm)
(Framed and ready to hang, overall size 82 x 112cm)
 
This is a portrait of Carmen Flores, a professional musician; who plays the viola with the Villiers Quartet.
 
Carmen was born in Indiana, but moved to San Diego, California when she was a child. She met her husband who is from Nottingham, in the Philippines, where her family is originally from. They have now settled in Beeston.
 
The painting of Carmen is the last painted in the People of Beeston series.
 
I was struggling to find the last person to paint, but was mesmerised when hearing Carmen perform a  piece in the parish church, and I immediately knew I wanted to paint her. We spoke after her performance, photographed her the same day in her garden, and I started the portrait the following day.